Improvement in machines foe making blind-slats



@uiten-gratta stwt @ffice FRANCIS IV. XVIII-TE, OIf NCRVVICH,CONNECTICUT.

Letters Patent lVo. 70,382, dated October 29, 1867. i

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR MAKING BLIND-SEATS.

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y TO ALL WHOM VIT MAY CONCERNE Be it known that I, FRANCIS W. WHITE, ofNorwich, in the county of New London, and State of Connectient, haveinvented a new and useful Maehinefor Making Blind-slats; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of thesame, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, whichare made apart of this specification.

'The subject of thisinvention is an automatic machine for makingblind-slats, embodying a novel combina-A tion of devices whereby theplank is out into sections, and "such sections divided up into completeslats with planed surfaces and gudgeons cn their extremities.

Figure 1 is. a perspective View of my improved machine.

Figures 2 and are sectional views on the opposite sides of the plane,indicated by theline A-B, iig. 1.

Figure LLisadetached view,`illustrating modifications of the planing andsevering cutters.

Similarletters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalfigures.

In fig. 1 is clearly exhibited the main frame, in which the severaloperating parts are mounted. A is the driving-shaft, from which theworking parts derive their motion through the medium of belts andpulleys. B B- arc parallel ways, between' which the rough plank ormaterial is first placed, one of said ways being renderedself-adjustingiby theconnecting-rodsb and springs b', to accommodateplanks of different width. C C are adjustable guide-ways, joiningtheways B B at a right angle, and serving to confine in position theblocks or sections which are sawed from the plank and 'fed to the'actionof the several devices, by which they are converted into slats, aspresently explained. The plank is placed within the ways B B', and fedalong until its motion is arrested by the contact of its extremity withthe guide-way C. At the conclusion of this movement the end of the plankacts upon the end c of the shipper cI and upon the rod c2, which isattached by the bellcrank lever c3 to the redf, ,the parts c c2 beingthus forced outward from the`way el, through which they.are caused toprotrude at other times by the pressure of suitable springs. rIhe effectof the plank striking c is to actuate the shipper c1 so as to throw thebelt d, which drives feed-rollers C, from the fast pulley El on to theloose pulley E2; thus the motion of the .feed-rollers C is suspended forthe time being. The striking of the rod c2 by the end of the plankserves to advance the rodf so as to make its forked end, f', hold theattachment e on the end of the lanyard orline E in position to be caughtby the claw F on the rack-frame G, when the latter moves across thespaceat the terminus of the ways C C. The attachment e consists of twosmall metallic spheres connected by a short bar, and employed to enablethe claw F to readily take hold of the end ofthe line E. When the line Eis thus connected to the traversing-frame G, it serves to give motion`to the railway saw-carriage D', which carries the saw D across thewaysB` B', a section or block being thereby sawed from the end of theplank. The saw is rotated by the band 6 from a pulley, II, whichis'journalled in the hinged frame 7, which enables said pulley to`adjust itself vertically to maintain the requisite tension upon `theband 6, and allow the latter to accommodate its position to that of thesaw D, 'as the latter moves forth and back over the ways B' B. Themotion of 'the rack-frame Gr is -reversed as soon as the saw D haspassed transversely through the plank, and the claw Filets goiof thelanyard attachmente during this reversed movement of the rack-frame toallow the saw, with its carriage, to be returned to its first positionby the gravit-ating movement of the pulley H. `'.Ihepulley H is drivenby the band-4 from the pulley 3 on the shaft 5, which is rotated by aband, 2,. which is driven by the pulley 1 on the driving-shaft A. l p

"The above-described operation of the saw audits accessories is repeatedat proper intervals. t The section -or'block` cut from the end of theplank by the saw D is transferred to the feed-roller I by the pressureof a spring, g, and when such block is moved fairly out of the ways BB', and into ways C C by said feed-roller I, the shipper ac', beingrelieved from pressure, is actuated by its spring, so as to throw thebelt d ou to the fast pulley E', and thereby put the feed-rollers C inmotion, when the plank is advanced to C', and another block 'sawed offby D, and so the operation of C and D progresses. The feed-roller Ireceives an intermitting motion fromtheratc'het-wheel-t and ratchet-rack71.', suitably connected with the traversing rack-frame G- G. Eachmotion of roller I feeds the block forward the thickness of a slat, andduring the interval of rest of the roller I the rotary tubular cuttersz'z'are successively forc'zedintofthe` opposite sides of the block, saidcutters forming annular openings, and leaving the gudgeoeswhich projectfrom the ends of the elat. The cutters t" are forced into the block bylevers` J J, the upturnedfree extremities of which are acted upon bypins a a projecting from the traversing-frame G, springs a serving toretract the levers at the completion of their penetrating movement. Theshafts of the cutters z'z have fast and loose pulleys, and are rotatedby a band, 8, from the saw-shaft 9. L L L L are saws, which cutvertically through the block to remove the Wood surrounding thegudgeons, and leave the shoulders on the extremities of the slats. Theblocks are fed by the roller I to the saws L after having beensubjectedto the action of the rotary cutters The saw-shaft 10 is drivenby bands 12 from the shaft 5, and the motion of shaft 10 is communicatedto shaft 9 by a band or bands,.13. The foremost block in the ways C C ispushed. along beyond the saws L by the blocks subsequently cut from theplank. When the outer extremity of the foremost block reaches the slotsc6 in the ways C C', the block comes to rest, and the frame Gr beingthen thrownA into gear, moves in its path transversely of the ways C C,and brings the revolving cutters le c into action. The cutter c planesand slightly bevels the lower portion of the front of the block. Themotion of frame Gr is then reversed, and the block fed forward thethickness of a slat, when both the cutters c c are brought to act uponthe block simultaneously, the lower cutter serving to partially sever aslat from the block, and to plane and bevel the lower portion ofthe backof such slat, as well as the lower portion of the front of thesucceeding slat, and the upper cutter serving to plane and bevel theupper portionof the front of the slat. The block being again fedforward, the upper cutter 7c acts to plane and bevel the upper portionof the back of the slat, and to completely sever the slat from theblock, which latter is converted into a number of slats by thesesuccessive operations. While the slat is under the action of the cutterlc for completion, its upper and lower edges are embraced by the slidingrests u o, which follow in the wake of the cutters, and serve to sustainthe slat while being cut. The reversal of the motion of the rests v ureleases the severed slat, which is delivered at the ends of ways C C. Aband, 14, from the main shaft A, drives the pulleys ZZon the shafts ofthe revolving cutters 7c c, and said band is held tightly upon itstraversing pulleys by the movable and gravitating pulley N, which isjournalled in the hinged arm P. The frame Gr is moved in both directionsby the band 15, which is shifted from one to the other of the pulleys MM" by the shipper-rod O, iig. which is actuated by the main framethrough suitable connections at the conclusion of each movement. Thepulleys M M are respectively adapted to impart motion to'the pinions QQ, and these in turn engage with the respective racks Gr1 G2, to give tothe frame G a reciprocating motion.

In lieu of the cutters 7c k', represented in figs. 2 and 3, I proposetoemploy reciprocating or rotary cutters of the form shown in fig. 4, eachof which is adapted to act upon a plurality of slats to finish theirsides and edges simultaneously.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. Cutting blind-slats from a plank, and finishing the sameautomatically atlone operation by the mechan- I ism substantially asherein set forth.

2. The railway-saw D, in combination with the connecting-mdf, to throwit into operation by the contact of the plank while passing through theparallel ways, as shown and described.

3. Cutting the tenons ofthe slat in the block by mechanism,substantially as described.

4. Cutting the shoulders of the slats in the block by mechanism,substantially as described.

5. The cutters c and 7c', formed to it the space `between two slats, andemployed to finish their sides and edges, substantially as shown anddescribed. v

6. The rests or followers e, for holding the slut-s while being cut fromthe block, as described.

F. W. WHITE.

Witnesses:

S, T. IIoLBnooK, Guo. Fuso. LATnnor.

